Bearcats use shot in final seconds to down Orange women

Frank Ordonez / The Post-StandardSyracuse's Phylesha Bullard (33) and La'Shay Taft (4) guard Bjonee Reaves of Cincinnati during second half action of SU's 55-54 loss to the Bearcats in the Carrier Dome on Saturday. Reaves hit the game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds remaining.

Staff, news service reports

After Syracuse erased a 10-point second-half deficit, Bjonee Reaves hit a twisting jump shot with 2.5 seconds left to give Cincinnati a 55-54 victory over the Orange women’s basketball on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

The victory was the first Big East win of the season for the Bearcats, who improved to 10-11 overall and 1-7 in league play. Syracuse, which has lost four of its last five games, dropped to 13-9 overall and 2-6 in the Big East.

"The tough part of that game is I thought we did a great job of getting back into the game," said SU head coach Quentin Hillsman. "I think this was a learning experience for our entire team and we will keep doing what we are doing."

Kayla Cook led four Bearcats in double-figures with 14 points, while Jeanise Randolph added 11 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

Both teams struggled to score during the opening 10 minutes of the game as the Orange opened the contest 1-of-10 from the floor. Alexander scored the first basket on a putback, giving SU a 2-0 lead.

The Bearcats stayed close, never allowing the Orange’s advantage to get above five points, and clawed to within one point with 8:54 left in the half on a bucket from Randolph. It started a 7-0 Cincinnati run and a 14-10 lead. The Bearcats pushed that advantage to seven points before Syracuse’s Shakeya Leary cut it to five – 27-22 – with a layup just before the half ended.

After intermission, Cincinnati surged to a 48-43 lead with 6:58 remaining in the game before the Orange rallied with a a 9-2 run to take its first lead of the second half at 52-50. Hemingway scored four of those points, including the basket that gave SU the lead.

The teams then traded the lead down the stretch, as Cook nailed a 3-pointer from the left side for Cincinnati and Elashier Hall responded with a mid-range jumper for Syracuse and a 54-53 edge.

With the clock running down, Reaves hit the game-winner in the lane.

Syracuse shot poorly in the game, making 37.5 percent from the field, but missing all nine of its 3-point attempts. Cincinnati did slightly better, converting 38.9 percent of its overall shots and 5-of-23 from long range. SU held the edge in rebounding (44-31) but turned the ball over 19 times to 17 for the Bearcats.

Syracuse will return to action on Tuesday at Providence. The game starts at 7 p.m.